WPHM
Encyclopedia
WPHM is a news
, talk
and sports radio station
in Port Huron, Michigan
that broadcasts on AM 1380 with 5,000 watts. WPHM is owned by Radio First
. The station includes programming from Dr. Joy Browne, Sean Hannity
, Glenn Beck
, Dave Ramsey
, and local morning show host Paul Miller. WPHM has been known as "Information Radio 1380" for a large part of its life, showing its commitment to local news.
doing his national news program at this remote location.
Though much of WPHM's history did not involve a co-owned FM station to enhance its profitability, it didn't need one. Somewhat unusual for a market this size was that two AM stations dominated the radio landscape, both with programming that included highly competitive news departments. Its advantage over longtime crosstown rival WHLS
(a single tower 1000 watt "Local" station) was its powerful "Regional" signal of 5,000 watts, boasting seven towers (six-tower parallelogram daytime, 4 towers inline at night), able to reach listeners north of Port Huron, known as the Thumb
area. For this reason, the station was billed for years as "The Big Station in Michigan's Thumb".
WPHM had maintained a longtime agreement with the ABC radio network and the Associated Press
, which gave the station the tools it needed to be a strong local news competitor against WHLS
and sister station WSAQ
. It was that, a highly talented sales force, and longtime morning personality John Hill (who has since retired) that established WPHM as a force to be reckoned with in St. Clair County
. WPHM was also the first in the market (even among its Detroit counterparts) to invest in hard-disk computer-based on-air technology in the early 90's.
-formatted WBTI
96.9 FM, licensed to the city of Lexington
, north of Port Huron. The station had been on the air for less than a year. The FCC approved the $350,000 sale to Hanson from Martz Communications a month later. WBTI was then moved to WPHM's offices at 2379 Military Street in Port Huron.
As further proof of how dominant WPHM was over its new FM sister, WPHM outbilled WBTI 10 to 1 in 1993.
, about 12 miles south of Port Huron. Barr, who was operating syndicated talk-formatted WIFN (now WHLX
), wanted to leave the Detroit radio business and pursue other radio opportunities north of Detroit in Traverse City.
Hanson Communications purchased WIFN the following year and, after a brief period of simulcasting WIFN with WBTI, replaced its talk format with one of classic country, provided by ABC/SMN
's "Real Country
" satellite-based format in Dallas, increasing its portfolio to three stations. Hanson then vacated WIFN's (then WHYT-AM) studio from its co-located transmitter facility at 5300 Marine City Highway and moved programming operations to 2379 Military Street as well.
In early 2000, Liggett Broadcasting entered into an agreement with Hanson Communications to purchase the three stations. Liggett also entered into another agreement to purchase Hanson's crosstown competitor, Wismer Broadcasting (whose owner and founder had died the previous year), licensee of WHLS and WSAQ. Liggett moved the operations of all five stations into Wismer Broadcasting's existing facility at 808 Huron Avenue, as the building at 2379 Military Street did not have the office or parking space necessary to accommodate all of the stations. WPHM, WBTI
, WSAQ
, WHLX
, and WHLS
are all owned by Radio First
and are operated out of the same location in Downtown Port Huron.
The seven-tower antenna system was more complicated than most AM stations, which required 24 miles (38.6 km) of #10 copper wire and over a mile of 4 inches (101.6 mm) copper strap to be buried under the field as a "ground" system. The original transmitter was a Collins 21E, which was 3 connected cabinets approximately 10 feet wide, with the heavy power transformer located separately in the back room. This transmitter was 100% vacuum tube design. Then in 1980, a new, smaller, and more efficient Collins "Power Rock" transmitter was installed as the main, and the original 21E remained as the backup. The new transmitter was mostly solid-state design, with vacuum tubes in the power output section. Also by 1980, the microwave STL system had been upgraded to a stereo pair, partially for redundancy but also in preparation for AM Stereo broadcasting, which never fully materialized in the industry, and was not adopted by WPHM.
Chief engineering staff included George Carroll, from the WTTH days until his retirement in 1982 (d.1991), and David Huston from 1975 until 1987, who after the station's sale to Hanson, moved to northern Michigan to build a house and work with WAIR and WMJZ in Petoskey and Gaylord. Other part time engineers worked at the transmitter building until the remote control was installed.
Tough competition for WPHM has come from CKLW
and WJR
, which are much larger stations, and feature some of the same programing.
WPHM Program Schedule
At Noon and 6:00 pm, WPHM broadcasts the Information Hour, with local news, sports, weather, and commentary from Mike Huckabee
and David Weiss
.
Along with talk radio shows, WPHM broadcasts the Detroit Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, and Michigan State Spartan athletics. If two games are on at the same time, they are usually moved over to sister station WHLS
.
WPHM remains one of the most powerful and listened to station in the Thumb
.
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
, talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
and sports radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
that broadcasts on AM 1380 with 5,000 watts. WPHM is owned by Radio First
Radio First
Radio First is the owner of five radio stations in St. Clair and Sanilac Counties. Radio First primarily serves listeners in the Thumb area of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario. Radio First's offices and studios are all located at 808 Huron Avenue, Port Huron, Michigan...
. The station includes programming from Dr. Joy Browne, Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
, Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey
David L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker.Ramsey's syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show is promoted with a tagline that "It's about your life and your money," and it is heard on over 450 radio stations throughout the...
, and local morning show host Paul Miller. WPHM has been known as "Information Radio 1380" for a large part of its life, showing its commitment to local news.
Early history: WTTH
For much of its early years, WPHM was known as WTTH, the original call letters standing for The Times Herald, the name of Port Huron's only daily newspaper. The newspaper operated the station from its debut in 1947 until 1970, when it was sold to Enterform, Inc (a name derived from the words ENTERtainment and inFORMation). The station continued to operate from the original WTTH studio location in the newspaper building after the sale to Enterform, which boasted a large front area originally used for performing live radio programs, and also which once hosted Paul HarveyPaul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
doing his national news program at this remote location.
WPHM
Following its acquisition by Enterform in 1970, WTTH's call letters were changed to WPHM, to more accurately reflect the station's commitment to community service. In 1978, Enterform moved the studio to the newly remodeled and outfitted location at 2379 Military Street, and updated the studio-transmitter audio link from the old telephone line to a microwave system. In 1986, Enterform sold WPHM to Hanson Communications.Though much of WPHM's history did not involve a co-owned FM station to enhance its profitability, it didn't need one. Somewhat unusual for a market this size was that two AM stations dominated the radio landscape, both with programming that included highly competitive news departments. Its advantage over longtime crosstown rival WHLS
WHLS
WHLS is an Oldies radio station in Port Huron, Michigan on AM 1450. This station broadcasts from the same tower as sister station WSAQ with 1,000 watts of power. Since 2000 WHLS has simulcasted its programming on 1590 WHLX Marine City. On air they are known as AM 1450 & 1590, WHLS. Both stations...
(a single tower 1000 watt "Local" station) was its powerful "Regional" signal of 5,000 watts, boasting seven towers (six-tower parallelogram daytime, 4 towers inline at night), able to reach listeners north of Port Huron, known as the Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
area. For this reason, the station was billed for years as "The Big Station in Michigan's Thumb".
WPHM had maintained a longtime agreement with the ABC radio network and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, which gave the station the tools it needed to be a strong local news competitor against WHLS
WHLS
WHLS is an Oldies radio station in Port Huron, Michigan on AM 1450. This station broadcasts from the same tower as sister station WSAQ with 1,000 watts of power. Since 2000 WHLS has simulcasted its programming on 1590 WHLX Marine City. On air they are known as AM 1450 & 1590, WHLS. Both stations...
and sister station WSAQ
WSAQ
WSAQ is a country music radio station in Port Huron, Michigan known as Q Country 107. It began broadcasting August 7, 1964 on 107.1 MHz with 6,000 watts, and remains the same today . It broadcasts from the same site as AM 1450 WHLS. Q-Country plays modern country music along with some...
. It was that, a highly talented sales force, and longtime morning personality John Hill (who has since retired) that established WPHM as a force to be reckoned with in St. Clair County
St. Clair County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69 enters the county from the west, coming from Lansing and Flint, terminating at the approach to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron....
. WPHM was also the first in the market (even among its Detroit counterparts) to invest in hard-disk computer-based on-air technology in the early 90's.
WPHM gains an FM Sister: B96.9
Despite WPHM's success on its own, Hanson Communications still aspired to buy or build a local FM property. That opportunity finally presented itself in June 1992, when Hanson acquired CHRContemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
-formatted WBTI
WBTI
WBTI is an Adult Top 40 radio station in Lexington, Michigan. It broadcasts on 96.9 MHz with 3,000 watts and is owned by Radio First. This is the third owner in the station's 15-year history....
96.9 FM, licensed to the city of Lexington
Lexington, Michigan
Lexington is a village in Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Lexington Township.-Geography:...
, north of Port Huron. The station had been on the air for less than a year. The FCC approved the $350,000 sale to Hanson from Martz Communications a month later. WBTI was then moved to WPHM's offices at 2379 Military Street in Port Huron.
As further proof of how dominant WPHM was over its new FM sister, WPHM outbilled WBTI 10 to 1 in 1993.
Into the 1990s and the new millennium
In 1997, Hanson Communications began negotiations with David Barr, owner and president of Barr/Schremp Communications in Marine CityMarine City, Michigan
Marine City is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the west bank of the St. Clair River, it is one of the cities in the River District north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron. The population was 4,652 at the 2000 census...
, about 12 miles south of Port Huron. Barr, who was operating syndicated talk-formatted WIFN (now WHLX
WHLX
WHLX is an American radio station, licensed to Marine City, Michigan at 1590 kHz on the AM dial, with a power output of 1,000 watts day, 102 watts night. The station is currently a simulcast of 1450 WHLS in Port Huron...
), wanted to leave the Detroit radio business and pursue other radio opportunities north of Detroit in Traverse City.
Hanson Communications purchased WIFN the following year and, after a brief period of simulcasting WIFN with WBTI, replaced its talk format with one of classic country, provided by ABC/SMN
Satellite Music Network
Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour a day music programming to local stations, under several different formats...
's "Real Country
Real country
Real Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks. Real Country, originally one of the Satellite Music Network stations, is marketed at the 18 to 54 demographic in rural areas of the United States...
" satellite-based format in Dallas, increasing its portfolio to three stations. Hanson then vacated WIFN's (then WHYT-AM) studio from its co-located transmitter facility at 5300 Marine City Highway and moved programming operations to 2379 Military Street as well.
In early 2000, Liggett Broadcasting entered into an agreement with Hanson Communications to purchase the three stations. Liggett also entered into another agreement to purchase Hanson's crosstown competitor, Wismer Broadcasting (whose owner and founder had died the previous year), licensee of WHLS and WSAQ. Liggett moved the operations of all five stations into Wismer Broadcasting's existing facility at 808 Huron Avenue, as the building at 2379 Military Street did not have the office or parking space necessary to accommodate all of the stations. WPHM, WBTI
WBTI
WBTI is an Adult Top 40 radio station in Lexington, Michigan. It broadcasts on 96.9 MHz with 3,000 watts and is owned by Radio First. This is the third owner in the station's 15-year history....
, WSAQ
WSAQ
WSAQ is a country music radio station in Port Huron, Michigan known as Q Country 107. It began broadcasting August 7, 1964 on 107.1 MHz with 6,000 watts, and remains the same today . It broadcasts from the same site as AM 1450 WHLS. Q-Country plays modern country music along with some...
, WHLX
WHLX
WHLX is an American radio station, licensed to Marine City, Michigan at 1590 kHz on the AM dial, with a power output of 1,000 watts day, 102 watts night. The station is currently a simulcast of 1450 WHLS in Port Huron...
, and WHLS
WHLS
WHLS is an Oldies radio station in Port Huron, Michigan on AM 1450. This station broadcasts from the same tower as sister station WSAQ with 1,000 watts of power. Since 2000 WHLS has simulcasted its programming on 1590 WHLX Marine City. On air they are known as AM 1450 & 1590, WHLS. Both stations...
are all owned by Radio First
Radio First
Radio First is the owner of five radio stations in St. Clair and Sanilac Counties. Radio First primarily serves listeners in the Thumb area of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario. Radio First's offices and studios are all located at 808 Huron Avenue, Port Huron, Michigan...
and are operated out of the same location in Downtown Port Huron.
Engineering
WPHM-AM's seven-tower array is located south of the city of Marysville in Saint Clair Twp. off Range Road, located behind a Mobil gas station. The building housing the transmitter equipment is painted with the old WPHM logo. Through much of its early history, the transmitter building was staffed during hours of operation (at that time 6am to 11pm) by FCC licensed engineering personnel, which was a Federal Communications Commission requirement at that time for AM stations with complicated directional antenna systems. While there, the engineering staff would also perform other duties, such as set-up the long tape loops between two reel recorders to provide a "profanity delay" during call-in shows (before the advent of digital delay equipment), log exact times of commercial play to the program log, and take transmitter readings. The transmitter building was no longer staffed after the studio moved to Military Street in 1978, due to the installation of a new remote control system, and by that time, relaxed FCC rules regarding directional antenna system operator presence.The seven-tower antenna system was more complicated than most AM stations, which required 24 miles (38.6 km) of #10 copper wire and over a mile of 4 inches (101.6 mm) copper strap to be buried under the field as a "ground" system. The original transmitter was a Collins 21E, which was 3 connected cabinets approximately 10 feet wide, with the heavy power transformer located separately in the back room. This transmitter was 100% vacuum tube design. Then in 1980, a new, smaller, and more efficient Collins "Power Rock" transmitter was installed as the main, and the original 21E remained as the backup. The new transmitter was mostly solid-state design, with vacuum tubes in the power output section. Also by 1980, the microwave STL system had been upgraded to a stereo pair, partially for redundancy but also in preparation for AM Stereo broadcasting, which never fully materialized in the industry, and was not adopted by WPHM.
Chief engineering staff included George Carroll, from the WTTH days until his retirement in 1982 (d.1991), and David Huston from 1975 until 1987, who after the station's sale to Hanson, moved to northern Michigan to build a house and work with WAIR and WMJZ in Petoskey and Gaylord. Other part time engineers worked at the transmitter building until the remote control was installed.
WPHM today
Not long before WPHM changed hands, it gradually moved from its longtime format of adult contemporary and talk to all news and talk. Morning personality John Hill retired from the station in August 2002 upon completing 35 years of service. WPHM news director Paul Miller, another longtime tenured employee, assumed the morning show slot.Tough competition for WPHM has come from CKLW
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
and WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
, which are much larger stations, and feature some of the same programing.
Personalities
- Dirk Vann, First LightFirst LightFirst Light may refer to:* First Light , 2007* First Light * First Light , 1971* First Light , a 1987 nonfiction book on astronomy by Richard Preston...
5 – 6 am - Paul Miller, host of The Morning Show, 6 – 10 am
- Bill Gilmer, news director and morning show co-host
- Dennis Stuckey, sports director and morning show co-host
- Glenn BeckGlenn BeckGlenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
10 – noon - Dr. Joy Browne 1 – 3 pm
- Sean HannitySean HannitySean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
3 – 6 pm - Dave RamseyDave RamseyDavid L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker.Ramsey's syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show is promoted with a tagline that "It's about your life and your money," and it is heard on over 450 radio stations throughout the...
7 pm – 1 am - George NooryGeorge NooryGeorge Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
, Coast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AMCoast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
1 – 5 am
WPHM Program Schedule
At Noon and 6:00 pm, WPHM broadcasts the Information Hour, with local news, sports, weather, and commentary from Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
and David Weiss
David Weiss
David Weiss may refer to:* David Weiss , Swiss multi-media artist* David Weiss , author of Naked Came I* David C. Weiss, acting US Attorney for Delaware, succeeded Colm Connolly...
.
Along with talk radio shows, WPHM broadcasts the Detroit Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, and Michigan State Spartan athletics. If two games are on at the same time, they are usually moved over to sister station WHLS
WHLS
WHLS is an Oldies radio station in Port Huron, Michigan on AM 1450. This station broadcasts from the same tower as sister station WSAQ with 1,000 watts of power. Since 2000 WHLS has simulcasted its programming on 1590 WHLX Marine City. On air they are known as AM 1450 & 1590, WHLS. Both stations...
.
WPHM remains one of the most powerful and listened to station in the Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
.